The Living Yondaime
by SerafinaMoon
Summary: What difference would it make if the Third sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi instead of the Fourth? What would Naruto’s life have been like if his father was still alive? Not your typical Living Yondaime story! Contest/Challenge included!
1. Attack of the Kyuubi

**Title:** The Living Yondaime

**Author:** Mitsuko-chan

**Date:** 1-1-2010

**Summary: **What difference would it make if the Third sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi instead of the Fourth? What would Naruto's life have been like if his father was still alive?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, any of its characters, or themes. I will not profit from this story except receiving enjoyment of your questions, comments, and input on this work.

**Claimer:** I do, however, own this story, its ideas, and its plot and any Original Characters that I may use during the duration of the story making process.

**A/N-** Well, this is my first Naruto story, so please be kind. I'm not sure how often I'll update, but I'll try my best. Unfortunately, I have a busy life so I don't get as much of a chance to write as I would like. (And when I do get a chance, I have no more motivation…) Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 1: The Kyuubi Attack**

…_When combining the kokoro and eien runes, it is important to remember to maintain a close associatively with the elements and incorporate these natural elements to create a firm foundation. This foundation is fundamental in time and space mutability to maintain the yin transference and the yang infusion. Be circumspect in integrating the seishi rune to invoke the eternal elements of life and death…_

Minato sighed, leaning back in his chair. Letting his head fall back to rest on the back of his chair, he placed one arm over his eyes as he closed them in exhaustion.

_This job is going to be the death of me…heh, no pun intended._

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to alleviate the pain creeping into his head. He knew he had to be tired if he was making corny jokes to no one other than himself.

"I mean, Jiraiya-sensei isn't even _here_…" Minato mumbled under his breath.

"Yes, I am," the toad Sannin replied, popping in through the window.

Minato jumped in his seat, accidentally slamming his hands against his desk and knocking all his paperwork all over the floor.

"Jiraiya-sensei! What are you doing here?" Minato gasped in surprise as he scurried to pick up all his notes before his sensei could see what he was doing.

Jiraiya didn't answer, giving his student a calculating stare. "What were you so caught up in that you allowed me to surprise you?" he shrewdly asked.

Minato inwardly cursed his teacher's ability to read him and know when he was up to something.

Minato forced his voice into a steady, even tone. "Nothing, sensei," Minato said, gathering all his strewn paperwork into his arms.

Jiraiya reached down and picked up a paper that had been partially hidden under the desk. Minato flashed forward to snatch it out of the older ninja's hand, but Jiraiya turned away, keeping it out of his student's reach. He stared at the paper in his hand, scrutinizing it. His expression resembled a thunderstorm when he glanced back at the Yellow Flash of Konoha.

"What is this?" Jiraiya growled in a low, dangerous voice. He held up the page so Minato could see its contents.

It was the fuinjutsu construct for sealing the Kyuubi into a newborn baby, most likely _his_ soon-to-be-born baby, to create a jinchuuriki. Minato stiffened, not moving, holding his breath as he tried to find some excuse, some way out of this. But this was Jiraiya, his sensei. He was a seal master himself and would automatically recognize what the seal was for.

Ever since learning of the Kyuubi's imminent arrival, Minato had begun researching (not the same way his sensei did) possible ways to defeat a bijuu. There were very few methods to be found. Bijuu, by their very nature, were the strongest of all demons—the kings of demons, really. They were so strong they were worse than a force of nature itself. Each method of annihilation was more risky than the previous ones he'd found, and absolutely _none_ of them were guaranteed to work. Unfortunately, every method also came at a terrible price—the castor's life, unless he could find some way to defeat it during combat, which wasn't likely.

It wouldn't be so bad if Minato could just be sure that whatever tactic he used would actually work. That was when he had come across a reference to the human sacrifices known as jinchuuriki. By sealing the power of a bijuu inside a newborn baby, the demon would be contained, its power potentially accessible for use. But then he'd discovered the negative aspects of someone hosting a bijuu.

Jinchuuriki were always hated and feared. Scorned by the ninja villages they lived in, they were usually treated as nothing more than a living weapon. If they were recognized as anything at all, it was only as a tool.

This type of psychological oppression usually led to instability in the host that drove them to an early death; either because they were a failed weapon and their village disposed of them, from prolonged exposure to the demon's youkai, or even suicide from depression. Jinchuuriki lived hapless lives and were pitiable creatures.

Minato detested the idea of treating the host as if it were the demon itself. If nothing else, the hosts were heroes for keeping their villages protected from the bijuu. People were so stupid sometimes. Minato swore when deciding upon this route that Konoha's jinchuurki would be viewed with respect as the hero he or she would be or at least treated like a normal human being.

Another common problem he had found was the seal construct. The seals allowed for the host and bijuu to interact and communicate—this was necessary for the host to access his bijuu's power. But most of the seal constructions allowed the bijuu to influence their host as well. This meant that they were relatively weak in keeping not only the bijuu from escaping but also from possessing the host.

Immediately, Minato set about finding a way to rectify this problem. He wanted to enable the jinchuuriki to use the bijuu's power, but not let that power consume the host. Using his advanced ability in fuinjutsu and his creative ingenuity, Minato had succeeded in creating a seal that would protect the host, but also give them the strength of the bijuu. In fact, due to his seal construct, the host should be able to absorb the bijuu's power at a steady rate, keeping the child safe from too much exposure to the demon's chakra, but also eventually eliminating the demon itself over time. Eventually, the demon's soul would be consumed and all that would remain for the host would be its chakra to access and use at will. It was this seal construction that his sensei currently held in his hand. This meant he knew what Minato was planning…and what it would cost him.

Instead of trying to deny what his teacher already knew as the truth, Minato turned defensive, his expression angry and defiant as he clenched his hands into fists.

"You know what it is, Jiraiya-sensei," he said quietly, gaze studiously fixed to the floor.

"And just when were you planning on sharing this idea with me that you were going to run off and get yourself killed?" the toad Sannin hissed, sounding like a boiling teakettle as his voice rose in pitch.

"I wasn't," Minato answered, finally lifting his head to look his sensei straight in the eyes.

"Why?"

"What was I supposed to do?!" Minato exploded. "Something had to be done and this is the only feasible option! If I had let you know, you would have tried to stop me. And here you are, just like I knew you would. There's nothing any of us can do. I have to do this; I didn't want you to feel guilty over my death when this is my responsibility!"

"And what about your new family? They need you; Konoha needs you. You are one of our greatest assets, Minato! Did you ever think about that? Who are we going to find to take your place? There is no one!"

"I'm sure that—"

"Did you ever even think, if you had consulted the Professor or me, we might have found an alternative before you came up with such a harebrained scheme?"

"And what alternative is there, Jiraiya-sensei?"

The man paused for several seconds, considering his answer. He apparently came to no reasonable conclusion because he shook his head in frustration.

"Don't do this," he pleaded instead of answering.

"You know I must."

"No! We'll come up with something else," Jiraiya insisted. "I'll talk to sensei, and together the three of us can come up with a better solution than this."

"I'm sorry, sensei; there is no 'better solution'."

*~***~*

Jiraiya was as good as his word. He collaborated with his own sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and while they discovered that creating a jinchuuriki really _was_ the best way to secure the village, they also knew that Minato shouldn't be the one to do it. Of the three of them, the most obvious choice was the Third. He had lived a full, ninja life and was a retired Hokage. He had the power and strength to accomplish the task and was technically no longer needed by the village, as he wasn't an active ninja. The way he saw it, Ninja weren't made to die peacefully in bed—this was his last chance to protect his home and claim the resounding glory that came with it. Besides, who would want to put up with all that paperwork after finally getting free of it?

Minato was a new Hokage, husband, and soon to be father; they could not let him give all that up when something could be done about it. It was for the younger generation to replace the old, not for the old to replace the young. The village needed a strong commander like the Yellow Flash, and they weren't going to let his stubbornness be his undoing…at least, not his time.

That was why, almost a week later, Jiraiya found himself rushing to the Hokage tower as the Kyuubi drew near the village gates. Death and destruction were already abundant in its wake. He had to keep Minato from facing the Kyuubi; that was in Sarutobi-sensei's hands now. The two had snuck into the Hokage's office and made copies of Minato's plans to defeat the Kyuubi, planning out their own version. Now they just had to keep Minato from interfering…

Luckily, the fourth Hokage was just preparing to leave his office as Jiraiya entered the building.

Looking up at the toad Sannin, Minato said, "Now, sensei, we already went over this. There's nothing you can do, so don't try to stop me."

The only thing Jiraiya said was, "I'm sorry," before hitting his student in the back of the head, knocking him out. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Jiraiya drug his student back into the Hokage's office. He made his precious student comfortable, laying him on a cot kept for when the Hokage needed to sleep in his office.

Jiraiya froze as there was a knock on the door. He opened it a crack and peered out, blocking the view inside the room with his body. A ninja subordinate stood outside cradling the newborn baby Naruto in his arms. Jiraiya knew Minato was planning on using his own baby. Minato's notes he'd found on the subject were quite thorough. They weren't just notes; it was more like a journal, describing his reason for every minute detail. Everything was broken down and factored into its barest principles, not a single aspect forgotten.

That was why he knew Minato believed in order to be seen as a hero, there was no host better than the Hokage's own son. Besides, Minato was so kindhearted, he just couldn't bear to sacrifice one of the village's children if he wasn't willing to make the ultimate sacrifice himself. And who better to handle the power of a bijuu responsibly than his own son? It would also offer the child an extra layer of protection since he wouldn't have his father there to help him.

"Um…Jiraiya-sama?" the ninja in front of him questioned, releasing the Sannin from his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Hokage-sama told me to bring his son to him in his office, since he needed to do something before leaving for the battle front."

"Yes, I told him I'd take care of it so he could go on ahead," Jiraiya said as he reached for his godson.

"Hai, Jiraiya-sama," the ninja replied, passing the baby over before bowing and jumping away

Jiraiya expelled a large breath in relief as he took the baby inside the office. Jiraiya sighed, looking down at the sleeping Naruto. He smiled sadly at his godson, knowing that this one moment would forever change the child's life as he became the village's humans sacrifice, its jinchuuriki.

"Well, kid, looks like it's time to do our part. Now, let's get you ready, Naru-chan."

Naruto's aquamarine eyes opened as Jiraiya transferred the baby from his arms into a basket, which he placed in the middle of the room. Seems, Minato-kun had been prepared after all. After gathering together all the needed supplies, Jiraiya began drawing the necessary seals on Naruto's stomach. The cold ink and soft, tickling brush made the boy squirm and whine. His little hands waved frantically, trying to make the offending object go away, and Jiraiya was forced to hold the little baby still to finish the seal without messing up.

The entire time, he sympathized with the child, cooing, "I know, buddy. I know; just a little bit more and then I'll be done."

When he finally finished, Jiraiya released the child and continued drawing sealing characters on the ground around the basket, finally ending with the placement of six lit candles in their proper positions around the sealing circle.

*~***~*

East of the village, the countryside lay wasted, completely devoid of life as if a fireball scorched a long gouge in the earth as it sailed by. Unfortunately, such a tragic natural occurrence would have been preferable to what was presently occurring. The Kyuubi no Kitsune had finally breached the outer wall, the last barrier leading into Konoha. Luckily, their final line of defense—ninjas—were not quite yet exhausted.

_But they will be soon if I don't do something_, thought Sarutobi morosely, looking around at all his fallen ninja. So many dead and injured. If Sarutobi didn't turn this tide quickly, there would be precious little to rebuild and come back from.

The strong commander had returned; The Professor was once again clad in his ninja armor as he jumped into the fray, encouraging his underlings by his mere presence. They all cheered as he sped by.

He maneuvered his way up close to the Kyuubi, drawing its attention to himself. It roared at him. The breath of the Kyuubi itself was enough to blow several surprised ninja back into their equally surprised comrades.

Only Sarutobi remained out in front of the fox now as he maintained his position by sticking to the ground with charka. Seeing that his opponent was still before him, the Kyuubi flicked one of its massive tails in Hiruzen's direction, forcing him to dodge.

The Sandaime tried several different tactics to make his way closer to the fox, but everything he tried was blocked or countered. It was at that point that he realized this was no ordinary bijuu attack. Someone was controlling the Kyuubi, telling it what to do. Using a location jutsu, the Professor found a ninja huddled far away on an outcropping of rock where he could view the entire vista of Konoha and thus watch the battle as it took place.

From what little he could see of the man, Hiruzen noticed that he had dark clothes and hair, and wore a mask over his entire face.

Figuring he only had one option remaining, the Third completed the hand seals for the summoning jutsu and slammed his hands into the ground. Enma the monkey king appeared beside the Professor and together they faced the raging kitsune.

"Quite the unexpected situation, Sarutobi. How do you intend to defeat this enemy?"

"I have a plan, I just need your help on it. Also, I need you to get word to my successor that the Kyuubi is being controlled."

"Controlled?"

"Yes, by that ninja over there in the mask."

"Understood."

And with those words, Sarutobi transmuted the monkey king into his bo-staff transformation. Planting one end of the bo into the ground, the Sandaime jumped up onto the other end, balancing and maintaining his footing with charka.

Catching on to what his summoner intended, Enma extended his length so that Sarutobi was level with the Kyuubi's eyes. The mighty bijuu continued to attack what it considered to be an annoying bug, while Enma jumped around dodging the attacks.

Together the Professor and his summon looked like a bouncing pogo-stick as the Sandaime prepared the handseals for the Shiki Fuinjustu. The Sandaime gasped in pain as he felt the chilling hand of the Shinigami embed itself in his chest cavity, continuing to latch onto the yin portion of the Kyuubi's soul.

Darkness enveloped the entire battlefield, obscuring the Professor and Kyuubi from the view of the other ninjas. The darkness carried with it the eerie sting of death passing by. Then, suddenly, the area was flooded with light as an explosion rent the air, showering everything in glowing red sparks of the Kyuubi's remaining youkai. A puff of smoke off to the side signified Enma's return to the summon world.

All was calm for a total of two seconds before the ninjas noticed the puff of smoke dispersing irregularly. That was the only warning they had before a blast of air shot out from the epicenter of the explosion area. The shockwave of air exploded outward, picking up dirt and debris, creating a hail of deadly wind. Projectiles made up of the kunai and shuriken that ninjas had previously been throwing at the Kyuubi were now picked up in the wind and shot back toward their owners. Ninjas dodged and blocked as much of the incoming debris as they could before they could find some type of shelter.

When it finally ended, all was still and quiet once more.

*~***~*

Jiraiya and Naruto had only a few seconds to wait before they heard it: a great roar of the Kyuubi, followed by a sound like rumbling thunder as the earth shook to its very foundations. The Hokage tower was then pelted with a concussion blast of wind, debris, and the Kyuubi's tainted youkai.

At that signal, Jiraiya completed Naruto's sealing by infusing the circle with his charka after he formed the finished sealing jutsu. The charka infused seals flashed and suddenly a torrent of the Kyuubi's remained youkai inundated the room and flooded into the seal on Naruto's belly. The child screamed in fear and pain as all the seals on the floor retracted into the main seal on the baby's stomach, imprisoning the greatest known bijuu.

Once it was finished, the rumbling stopped, the wind died down, and all became silent and still once more. An eerie silence descended over everything, following in the wake of chaos and destruction having run their course. The only sound that remained was Naruto as he cried from the trauma and lingering pain of the experience as he lay in his little basket surrounded by the lit candles of the ritual.

*~***~*

**A/N – **Well, I hoped you like it so far. Please review and tell me what you think. No flames, but constructive criticism welcome. Also, I'll be looking for a good Naruto beta reader if anyone would be willing to help me out. Thanks for reading!

**NOTE:** I would like to present whoever with the opportunity to write for a Challenge/Contest.

**Living Yondaime Challenge/Contest**

The Challenge essentially follows the same rules as the contest only is not constrained by a time limit and won't be judged. The Contest will be open for entries for an entire year (which is why I'm posting this on the New Year). Final chapter submissions will be due by December 31 at 12 am.

Please write in all caps either LY CHALLENGE or LY CONTEST depending on which you are writing for in the summary of your story. I will be making a community for all these stories so other people can read them if they want. So, please either LET ME KNOW about your story by either leaving me a message in a review or by emailing me at: mitsuko (dot) chan (at) yahoo (dot) com. (No spaces or caps; and replace the words in parentheses with their corresponding symbol.)

I will (do my best to) read and judge all the contest entries after their final submissions. Depending on how many there are, it may or may not take a while. But I will narrow the choices down to a specific number (that number will be determined by the number of entrees), no more than 100 at the most, but it will most likely be less than that. Then I will create a poll for others to pick the top story. Sorry, you don't get a physical prize, but you could win cyber flowers, fireworks, and cookies along with the title "The Living Yondaime Contest Winner." And I suppose I'll do a second and third place winner also.

Contest/Challenge Rules

1) Minato must be alive (he doesn't have to raise Naruto from childhood, or remain the Hokage, he can have memory loss, a handicap of some kind, whatever, he just has to be alive). So, either figure out a way for him to defeat Kyuubi without sacrificing himself, or someone else does it, or something.

2) Kushina must be alive, but she can reasonably be missing (in other words, she has a good reason for disappearing). She has to make appearances in the work.

3) Kyuubi must be sealed into Naruto.

4) The story must be focused mainly on Naruto.

5) Accurately depict how a living Yondaime would influence (or not influence – such as if he's missing or has no time to spend with his kids due to Hokage duties, etc.) Naruto and the way he acts in cannon.

6) Optional – Naruto has siblings.

7) Optional – Naruto receives assassin or ANBU training.

My basis for judging the stories will be based on these four things:

Consistent Cannon Characterization – if they are not cannon-like characters, there has to be a good reason for it explained in the story. No random OOCness just because you're too lazy to look stuff up in the manga or anime. Some websites you might find helpful for this: tailedfox (dot) com – anime, www (dot) onemanga (dot) com (forward slash) Naruto – manga, and www (dot) leafninja (dot) com – general Naruto guides.

Ability to follow the rules – if you're not going to follow the rules, why bother? Just make it for the challenge instead of the contest in that case.

Plot Originality – Sorry, this is something really big for me. Plot is my most favorite aspect of writing. I love really complicated, twisted, and involved plots...for some strange unfathomable reason. The plot can be simple, but make it good, please!

Overall Quality/Realism – Please do your best to write well. That means use spell check, possibly find a beta reader, whatever, just try to make it so people can enjoy what you write.

I will also be posting the Challenge/Contest information on my profile if you want to look for it there.


	2. Assassination Attempt

**Title:** The Living Yondaime

**Author:** SerafinaMoon (*

**Date:** 1-18-2010

**Summary: **What difference would it make if the Third sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi instead of the Fourth? What would Naruto's life have been like if his father was still alive?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, any of its characters, or themes. I will not profit from this story except receiving enjoyment of your questions, comments, and input on this work.

**Claimer:** I do, however, own this story and its plot and any Original Characters that I may use during the duration of the story making process.

**A/N-** Well, I'm now back in school, so I have no idea how long it'll take me between updates. Hopefully, I'll be able to get them out between 2 weeks to a month, so sorry, but you'll have to be somewhat patient with me.

**Chapter 2: Assassination Attempt**

*~***~*

Minato had been livid upon waking from his "nap" and it was several weeks, even after almost beating his sensei to a pulp, before he could converse with his teacher civilly. During that time, he was able to come to terms with his teacher and predecessor's betrayal. He couldn't really stay mad at them when he knew they were simply doing it for the best interests of the village, his family, and even himself. Despite his anger at the man, Minato had to admit that Jiraiya had been a major help in organizing things in the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack. Village repairs were underway and civilians, as well as shinobi, were in the process of getting their lives back.

A massive service had been held to honor those that died during the attack and villagers could be seen in the ceremonial black clothes of mourning for at least a week. Minato had been afraid of revealing the presence of the Kyuubi inside his son to the village at large, but he knew rumors were likely to spread even if people weren't informed. Eventually people would find out; Minato preferred the people to find out what he wanted them to know the way he wanted them to know it.

It took a fancy bit of oration work on his and Jiraiya's parts to convince not only the people, but also the council that Naruto was not the Kyuubi incarnate, but a hero as he kept the Kyuubi prisoner. Once convinced that Naruto was the only thing standing in the way of another Kyuubi attack, the majority of the villagers were swayed to the ideal of Naruto as a savior.

Minato knew there were still those that looked upon his son and saw nothing but their dead loved ones killed by the monstrous demon. He knew there were those who would hold it against Naruto and maybe even himself as well, but so long as Minato lived, he would do all he could to insure no harm came to Naruto.

In the end, it was probably the reasoning that if he had been sacrificed to the sealing of the Kyuubi, Naruto might not have as good of a chance in the village as he did, that swayed him to finally forgive Jiraiya and Sarutobi. As it was, due to his status as the village hero and the Hokage's son, people were already calling the little boy "Naruto-sama."

Naruto was his and Kushina's pride and joy, the one shining ray of hope through all this suffering. Minato was doing his best as a Hokage and father to make sure his little boy would have a chance for a bright future. He loved spending time with his wife and baby. He and Kushina played with their little boy, awed at just about everything he did—all his funny facial expressions. They made sure to find out all his ticklish spots within the first few days and then tease him mercilessly. They loved to watch him giggle and laugh.

Unfortunately, Minato didn't get to spend as much time with his new family as he would like due to his Hokage duties, but he made sure to make as much time for them as he could. He knew Kushina was always amused to find him joining Naruto in the middle of a nap when he came home for lunch after working in the Hokage Tower all morning. He pretended to be annoyed at her teasing, but in actuality he was pleased by it. He had been afraid for the former Whirlpool tomboy when the doctors had informed him of her complications during birth.

Some of the doctors had even wondered if she was going to make it past the birth at all, but under the miraculous ministrations of Tsunade-hime, who he'd convinced to come back to the village and implement her med-nin plan, she was able to make a full recovery. Even so, Minato still made sure there were always ANBU around to make sure his family was all right while he was at work. Often times, Kushina would bring Naruto into the office to see him, and to give him a reprieve from all the paperwork…Seeing his wife interacting with his child brought him comfort and strength that he dearly needed to carry out his duties to the village.

And so, in a whirlwind of village repairs, various Hokage duties, family life, and personal training, the first four months after the Kyuubi attack passed quickly.

Once things became more settled within the village and the majority of the repairs were completed, things began to fall into a regular pattern for Minato and his family.

He would wake up early to train, get ready for work, and do paperwork in the office until lunch when he came home to eat and spend time with Kushina and Naruto. Then, usually after a nap at home, he would return to the Hokage Tower to hand out various missions with his assistants (as well as sneaking in a few more stacks of paperwork) until it was time for everyone to go home.

Minato would then shunshin to his house to have dinner with his family and then try to goad Naruto into performing whatever new feat his mother was currently trying to teach him, such as rolling over onto his stomach, sitting up, or speaking. When it got close to Naruto's bedtime, Minato and Kushina would play Janken, Roe-Sham-Boe (Rock-Paper-Sissors) to determine whose turn it was to give their son a bath.

While bath time could sometimes be fun, more often it was a challenge to get their rambunctious child to hold still long enough to clean him up; the bathroom itself often needed to be cleaned after such an exercise.

Bedtime was also very difficult for the Namikazes. Naruto seemed to have an overabundance of energy that he just kept stored up, and while he usually took naps in the afternoons, at night he had trouble going to sleep unless he did something so exciting during the day that he wore himself out. Kushina had suggested having a time to "wind down" where one of them would read to their son. Not only would it stimulate Naruto and improve his ability to learn, but it would also calm him from playing so that he would be able to fall asleep.

For his half year "birthday," Kakashi, one of Minato's former students brought Naruto a stuffed orange fox plushie, named "Ong," also known as Orange, which the boy carried around everywhere and which he could not go to sleep without after having received it. The sixth month mark also introduced a new, unwelcome challenge for the young couple to face – assassins. Due to Konoha's Yellow Flash and his fearsome reputation earned in the war with Iwa, ninja from the Earth country's Hidden Shinobi Village began sneaking their way into Konoha and attempting kidnappings and assassinations on the Hokage's son. Better to eliminate the threat before the boy could be trained; better yet, capturing Konoha's jinchurriki and the Yellow Flash's legacy and training him as one of their ninja to use against the Hokage.

Several attempts were made each year, mostly from Iwa nin, but there were also a few disgruntled ninja and civilians of Konoha that participated in these assassination attempts. Because of these threats to his family, Minato had to make sure that a full ANBU squad was there to guard them at all times.

*~***~*

Night shrouded the Namikaze residence in darkness, blanketing the house and grounds in shadow. All was quiet and still except for the miniscule stirring of the nocturnal creatures in the forest surrounding the grounds. A lone ninja zipped through the treetops, making no noise as he stealthily slipped his way onto the Hokage's property. No one but the night creatures noticed his passing and they all hushed, as if holding their breath in anticipation of what was to come as he went by. The ninja blended completely with the shadows in his all black clothing. The Iwa nin's movement was imperceptible even to the Konoha ANBU stationed outside one of the windows to the Hokage's residence.

Upon crossing the boundary between the forest and the open grounds of the Namikaze residence, the Iwa nin melded into the ground, suppressing his aura the entire way to keep from being detected. The ninja came up behind the Konoha ANBU, simultaneously placing a hand over his mouth to muffle noise and clobbering him over the head with the blunt end of a kunai. The ANBU slumped as the Iwa nin silently lowered the body to the ground. He looked around cautiously; making sure no one noticed him as he slid open the window the ANBU guarded.

Slipping inside, the assassin took stock of the room's layout and only occupant. He had memorized the blueprints that their spy had mapped out of the building. Now he just needed to confirm the target before making his move. The room's walls were painted a bright orange with a small, twin-sized bed encased in blue covers with bowels of ramen decorating the sheets. On the bedside table closest to the window sat a baby monitor; the glowing red light indicating that it was transmitting every sound made in the room. Knowing he couldn't turn the monitor off unless he turned off the receiver in the parents' room, the ninja didn't bother trying to find an off switch; instead, he decided to maintain his aura of silence as he approached the child sleeping in the bed.

The small boy had blonde hair, was already developing a tan complexion, but most distinguishing of all – three whisker marks on each cheek. This could only be Konoha's container for the ninth tailed beast…and the Yodaime's son. Target confirmed.

The two year old was buried halfway under the covers, huddled around a stuffed red fox. Intending to capture the child without any fuss, the ninja inserted his syringe needle into the delicate, exposed neck, injecting Naruto with a tranquilizer to insure his silence during the getaway.

Since Iwa had two jinchuuriki of its own, they knew what a delicate operation it was in trying to restrain one. They created a special formula to subdue the bijuus' hosts, but this one was tricky. Both of Iwa's containers were already full grown adults, this was a child. Too much of the serum would kill him, but not enough and he might awaken. The research nin in Iwa had carefully studied statistics from their experiments with the serum, making sure to only distill the formula enough that no lasting harm would come to the boy. While they had counted on interference from a superior tailed beast, they had underestimated the power such a creature had at its disposal.

Roushi and Han, Iwa's jinchuuriki, contained the beasts of the Gobi and Yonbi respectively, the four tailed ape and the five tailed whale-horse. The Kyuubi, however, had nine tails.

Considering that Iwa had two jinchuuriki, the research nin were able to calculate the difference in chakra levels gained by adding a single tail more of chakra. And while they had added up to nine tails worth of chakra, their margin of error was a much larger percent than they realized.

Kyuubi, sensing the foreign substance, immediately released his chakra through Naruto's system, breaking down enzymes from the tranquilizer into harmless proteins. When the tranquilizer was neutralized, the Kyuubi sent a burst of adrenaline through the boy's system, forcing him to wake up.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, his heart was pounding, and he felt hot all over. It felt just like he'd woken up from a really bad nightmare, the kind he would climb into his parents' bed afterwards. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming, but when he looked around, he knew there was something wrong. He felt the same way he did when his tousan carried him to the Hokage Tower and he jumped through the sky with the air rushing by really fast. But the arms holding him didn't feel like his tousan's. There was something not right about them, like they were too small or something.

His face was pressed against a muscled chest, so his vision was restricted, but he could tell it was still dark outside. Why was his tousan, whose arms apparently shrank, running with him at night? Wiggling around enough to somewhat loosen the hold on him Naruto found out as he looked up into the face of a stranger.

Terror crept over the two year old as he noticed he was in a forest, being carried by a strange man. His kaasan and tousan had told him to be careful of strangers. He knew that some of them were bad and wanted to hurt his tousan by being mean to Naruto. His parents warned him that if a stranger ever tried to take him away from his kaasan or tousan, he was to call for help and try to get away.

Naruto opened his mouth wide, gathered air into his lungs for his mighty yell, only to get a slap in the face from the man carrying him and a fierce whisper of, "Urusai, gaki! (Shut up, brat)."

For a moment, Naruto remained still, shocked that he'd been hit, but then the pain registered and he started to cry. No one had ever been so mean to him! He had to get away and get back to tousan. Naruto used every weapon in his rather limited arsenal to attempt his escape. He squirmed, bit, hit, kicked, everything his kaasan and tousan told him not to do. None of it seemed to work though; the ninja simply squished the boy tighter to his chest. It was like the man couldn't even feel any of his blows at all!

It made Naruto frustrated and mad in addition to his fear and the pain from being hit. That was when his tummy started to feel funny. It was like he ate something bad and his tummy started bubbling. Red chakra swarmed around Naruto, triggered by his heightened emotions. His eyes shifted from sapphire blue to cat-slitted crimson, his whisker marks darkened, his teeth and fingernails elongated into fangs and claws, and red youkai boiled up around the boy's skin, encasing him in demonic chakra.

Feeling generous amount of killing intent, the stranger looked down at his charge and noticed the demonic changes. He almost dropped the boy in his surprise, just barely holding on, which was all Naruto needed to escape. He pushed away from the man's chest, falling to the ground. He landed hard, but was used to it from falling down constantly, and quickly got back up and began to run, the demonic chakra fading away.

As Naruto ran by a tree, he heard a _thunk_ and found himself unable to move. He looked around and noticed one of those sharp knives his tousan called a kunai sticking his shirt to the tree. Naruto immediately slipped out of it and kept on running, surprising the strange ninja.

"You little brat!" hissed the Iwa nin.

Naruto looked back at the man to see him throw two more kunai at him. Both missed and Naruto laughed at the man. That was until he found himself again unable to move. He looked down but he couldn't see anything. He tried wiggling, but something sharp bit into his skin making him yelp. He was tied to the tree with invisible string!

Wide blue eyes looked back up at the man who steadily walked toward him with precise footsteps. He held the handle side of a kunai outward in his raised hand.

"I'm going to make sure you don't wake up until we get to our final destination you little monster!"

Naruto flinched, trying to duck down in his invisible ropes as much as possible, his eyes held tightly shut.

All of a sudden there was a clash of metal on metal and a familiar voice saying, "No. You will not touch my son again."

"Tousan!" Naruto called, opening his eyes to see his father, his mother, and several ANBU guards surrounding the man. One of the ANBU provided cover for Kushina as she released Naruto from the ninja wire and picked him up, cradling him to her chest.

Naruto sat up, pushing slightly against his mother so he could watch the action.

The Iwa nin inhaled sharply, almost causing himself to choke. His eyes widened in fear, just like Naruto's own had done several minutes before.

"T-the Yellow Flash," the ninja whispered, "how did you know? I was completely silent during the extraction."

"Well, that was the problem actually. I'm an extremely light sleeper you see, and the slightest change to the environment wakes me up. You might have been quiet, but your presence also silenced the night life. That was how I discovered something was wrong."

"I see. You really are as legendary as they claim."

With those words, the ninja shifted his stance. It was subtle; he only moved his weight from his back foot to his front, but such a small movement, imperceptible to a civilian, sent off warning bells in all the ANBU's minds and they moved into defensive stances to ready themselves for what was coming.

Seeing the calculating gleam in the ninja's eyes, the ANBU in front of Naruto and his mother shifted to guard stance so there was no way to hit the mother or the boy in her arms to shield them from what he sensed would be a direct attack against the two.

Switching from kidnapping to killing, the Iwa nin brought out several hollow senbon, each filled with poison, and flung them toward the Hokage's son. Faster than trained eyes could follow, the Yellow Flash deflected every single one of the senbon with his strange, sai-like kunai.

Piercing blue eyes turned to look at the foreign ninja and the man was almost paralyzed with fear again. He had failed. He couldn't let them take him alive. Biting down on the poison capsule in his mouth, he fell to the ground, dead almost instantly.

Minato stared down at the man for a moment, wishing they could have had the chance to interrogate him, but apparently they took defeat into account during the planning process.

"Minato…" Kushina murmured.

"I know," he said, "This one doesn't have a headband either. All of them have killed themselves or escaped before we could interrogate them. And even though their abilities and physical attributes portray them as ninja of Iwa, without a headband, their country has plausible deniability and can claim they are simply missing nins."

They all stood there a minute more. Kushina clutched Naruto tightly to herself, glancing at the assassin out of the corner of her eye. The ANBU sat waiting for a signal to give them orders, but Minato remained staring down at the Iwa nin. Finally, he heaved a sigh, his body relaxing.

"Two of you take him to get an autopsy report. Remember, no evidence of tampering. We'll have to return him to his village eventually."

Less than a second later, the clearing was short two ANBU and the body of an Iwa nin. Minato turned to his wife and son, the later of which held out his short arms, saying, "Me want tousan hold." Kushina handed him over and Naruto was enveloped within his father's muscular arms.

"Are you okay, buddy?"

"Hai. Tousan won fight?"

Minato and Kushina chuckled a bit, trust their hyperactive son to lighten the mood, "Yes, buddy, tousan won the fight. Now let's get you back home."

"Kay."

Naruto hunkered down within his father's arms and watched as they retraced the route back home. When they made it back inside the house, Kushina took Naruto back from her husband, knowing there were things he needed to get done while she would get Naruto settled for bed again.

"Come on, sweetie, you're going to sleep with kaasan and tousan tonight."

"Why tousan not come?"

"He's got to make one of the ANBU feel better."

"Why?"

"Because he's got a boo-boo."

"How?"

"The bad guy hit him on the head and now it hurts. Now, no more questions, it's time for you to settle down and go to sleep."

Kushina stopped by Naruto's bedroom and picked up Orange for Naruto to snuggle with and then the two of them slipped under the covers together in the Hokage's bedroom with Naruto cuddled up next to his mother. Naruto was almost asleep when the bed jostled as Minato joined them under the covers.

"Is he all right?" Kushina asked quietly.

"Yeah, I gave him some ice and orders to go to the hospital to get checked out. Although, knowing ninjas like I do, ANBU especially, he'll get checked out and then sneak back here before they let him leave."

"You can't say anything, you're the same way!" Kushina chuckled.

Minato scratched the back of his head, a gesture that his wife knew to mean he was embarrassed, as he said, "I know. Naruto will probably turn out to be the same way."

Kushina sighed, her expression turning grim as she said, "What are we going to do, Minato-kun? That's the fifth one this year with two in the last month alone. They're getting more desperate."

Minato sighed as well, pondering the issue for a moment before he said, "We need to start training him to defend himself. That's the closest they've come. All the others have either tried to strike from a distance only to fail or were intercepted before they could reach him. This one actually managed to get him out of his bedroom."

"I hate to think of what would have happened if we didn't make it in time. I don't want to lose him, Minato-kun."

"Shh…shh…I know, Kushina-chan, we'll keep him safe until he can protect himself. And I'll start training him right away—tomorrow. I'll make sure nothing happens to our baby, just leave it to me."

Kushina reached for Minato and they held hands over their slumbering child, drifting off to a peaceful sleep knowing that, at least for tonight, their child was safe.

*~***~*

Naruto gasped air into his lungs as his heart strained to take in oxygen. His father had woken him early in the morning as he sent a clone to the Hokage office to substitute for his absence. He had used the time away to begin Naruto's training. They began the day with a jog around the village.

Minato had made it interesting for his son by changing the pace up, sprinting at intervals or slowing to a walk as needed when Naruto began having trouble. They made it half way around the village from the west gate to the east gate before Minato finally called a halt to their run almost an hour from their starting time.

As the duo walked back to the Namikaze complex, the blonde man looked down at his sunny-haired son and said, "Naruto, your mother and I believe it is time to finally begin your training. We want you to be able to defend yourself if what happened last night ever happens again. I'm going to be training you every morning before I go into work while my Kage Bunshin does the paperwork. We're going to work a little harder everyday so you can be a big, strong ninja like your tousan."

Naruto's eyes lit up at the statement that he was going to be a strong ninja like his father. His excitement completely wiped away his exhaustion, restoring his energy.

Minato smiled. He was putting all of his son's boundless energy to good work. Hopefully the skills he taught Naruto would save his life someday.

Upon returning to the compound, Minato began leading Naruto through his exercises: push ups, sit ups, stretching, and the basics of gymnastics and martial arts. Minato instructed Naruto on the academy kata forms and corrected his mistakes. He showed him how to stand properly balanced and how to hold his arm and make a fist that would generate maximum damage against an opponent without hurting himself. He also demonstrated various types of basic kicks he wanted Naruto to perform: front, back, side, crescent, sweeping, and roundhouse.

Naruto did each exercise several times, drilling the movements into his body as well as his mind so that he would be able to react without thinking. They worked on those exercises and katas for several hours, taking up most of the mourning, before finally getting to what Naruto thought was the most interesting part of being a ninja – harnessing chakra.

Minato watched in amusement as Naruto practically vibrated with excitement. The kid was one small step away from jumping up and down. The Yellow Flash shook his head, remembering his own childhood days; Naruto was almost an incarnation of himself at that age.

"All right, Naruto, I know you're excited, but you need to pay attention to this. In order to use ninjutsu you have to first build up, or mold, your chakra. Your chakra is tied into your stamina because it is your spiritual life energy mixed with your body's physical energy. You only want to build up as much chakra as you'll need for your jutsu or you'll waste your stamina. Once you have the right amount built up, you have to control it so that you use exactly the right amount of chakra you need for the jutsu. Otherwise all of that built up energy will be wasted and your jutsu won't have a strong enough effect. If you use up most of your energy you'll suffer from chakra exhaustion and if you use up all of your energy you'll die."

As Minato gave his explanation of chakra control, he watched his son's eyes. Even though Naruto paid attention to every word he said, the boy's eyes were glassed over with incomprehension.

_Hm…he doesn't understand what I'm talking about. I wonder if I show him what to do if that'll help him to understand better…_

Casting a mild genjutsu over his son, Minato pictorially showed the two year old his explanation. Minato smiled as the genjustsu ended and Naruto's eyes gleamed with understanding.

_It's a good thing I started teaching him first; no one at the academy would be able to work with Naruto one-on-one and give him the kind of personal teaching he needs. And that's only if they were even able to figure out the problem in the first place. Naruto understands better when he is able to see what is going on or has hands on experience. It's a good thing Obito was the same way otherwise I'd probably be a little lost myself._

"Now, the first step in learning about chakra is learning how to find it. Chakra is your energy and you have to bring it out and hold it within yourself in order to perform jutsus. Now, I want you to focus inside yourself and try to find it. When you think you've got it, let me know."

Naruto closed his eyes and dug deep within himself. He tried several times, squeezing his eyes shut just a little bit tighter in concentration each time he failed. When he was finally able to sense the two types of energy – the physical and spiritual, Naruto opened his eyes slowly, trying to keep a hold of those two presences even with his eyes open. After all, he wouldn't have the luxury of closing his eyes in a real fight. He should practice without using aids if possible otherwise he'd end up with a handicap.

"Okay, I got it."

"Great, now I want you to make this sign," Minato demonstrated. "This is called the Tora handseal. You use it for molding chakra and harnessing it. Now, I want you to do what I showed you before and build up your chakra. Only thing is, I want you to build up as much of it as you can and then focus it into this all at once."

Minato walked Naruto over to a large bolder and had him place his hands on it. Naruto concentrated for several long minutes building up his chakra (he would have to practice for a while before he could do it with his eyes open). He sat there for so long, Minato almost wondered if he'd fallen asleep, but he knew how easy it was to lose track of time while in the middle of a meditation. Finally, Naruto's eyes shot open and he began pouring out all his chakra.

The boulder instantly liquefied and even more chakra kept pouring out. The discharge was so intense that Minato could feel it as tension in the air and he could literally see the blue energy surrounding his son. The untamed chakra, which no longer had a focus to be directed towards, became fierce and violent, creating a storm over Naruto's head. His hair blew all over the place in the gale of wind that formed.

Minato froze in shock. This wasn't supposed to happen! No way could his son have so much chakra, and he wasn't even tapping into the demon's chakra yet; it was all his own. He had even more that most jounins! Minato was torn between stopping his son to keep both them and the environment safe, but he knew it was essential for the boy to find his chakra capacity limit so he would never push himself beyond the safe point. Just as he came to the conclusion to knock his son out and save them all, the discharge dissipated and Naruto collapsed. The sudden drop in pressure in the air fueled the storm even more so that it spread, stirring up a real storm, which ironically, only covered the Namikaze complex.

Minato sighed, knowing nothing would ever be normal or easy for his son. He picked the boy up and said, "Good job, kiddo. You did great; I want you to make sure you never use more chakra than that ever. Now, take a nap, buddy, you deserve it."

Minato walked towards the house, his slight burden cradled in his arms fast asleep. He crossed the threshold just as rain began pouring down. Entering the kitchen, Minato saw his wife sitting at the table working on mending some of his torn clothes from his regular training sessions. She saw the two of them as they walked in, stood up, and rushed over.

Minato gave her a wry look and said, "Tut, tut, it looks like rain."

"Goodness! What happened?" Kushina asked as her husband laid their son out on a nearby couch.

Minato scratched the back of his head and started, "Well…you see, we were training and Naruto-"

"Nope! Hold it right there! I've heard that phrase come out of your mouth too many times to want to know what really happened. Seriously, just replace Naruto's name with Rin, Obito, or Kakashi and you'd have one of your usual stories in the making. You just go make yourself useful and I'll take care of our son."

Minato gave a guilty, embarrassed chuckle before fleeing from his wife's sight. He'd learned the hard way to never make a woman mad.

*~***~*

It was some time in the evening when Naruto finally woke up from his self-imposed nap. His eyes opened slowly and he looked around his living room from his position on the couch. He was quite comfortable and didn't feel like moving. His limbs felt heavy, making him feel rather lazy, but it was faint, as if most of his exhaustion had already been wiped away by his nap.

Naruto looked over as his kaasan entered the room. She sat down beside him and brushed his bangs off his forehead with her hand. With that simple gesture, Naruto felt peaceful, comforted, and protected. It felt nice, this sense of serenity. Naruto loved his family and never wanted to lose them; if only he could stay in this moment forever…

"Aishiteru, Kaasan. (I love you, Mother)"

Kushina smiled down at her son and said, "Aishiteru, to you too, Naru-chan," as she continued to stroke his bangs back.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay."

Kushina tilted her head, studying him. Deciding to gauge his wellbeing, and to give him a reward for his hard work training, Kushina asked, "Are you well enough to go play at the park?"

Naruto's eyes lit up and any sense of exhaustion was erased as he sat up, the blanket that had been draped over him pooling in his lap, as he said, "Yeah!" while pumping his fist in the air.

Kushina chuckled; it was a light, sweet sound, reminding Naruto of the wind chimes his mother liked to hang from the porch awning.

"All right then, let's go get ready so you can play. We'll see if we can't make some new friends while we're at it, ne?"

"Hai!" Naruto chirped, racing from the room to get his play clothes from his bedroom. Once his mother helped him don his favorite orange jumper, the two were out the door and at the park within a few minutes. Naruto's hyperactive excitement prompted Kushina to run with him to reach the park.

When they arrived, the park was already filled with several children and their parents. Most of the kids were playing in groups of two or three, but there was one girl who stood by herself, hiding behind her mother while holding her hand, simply watching the other children play. Naruto's eyes were drawn to her for the simple fact that she was the only one by herself not playing. Weren't you supposed to go to the park to play? Maybe she just got there like he had and didn't have anyone to play with yet.

Mind made up, Naruto decided to go ask her to play. As he walked over with his mother, Naruto noticed that the little girl stayed huddled behind her mother even though the woman kept encouraging her to go out and play. Naruto frowned; it almost looked like the little girl would start crying.

Naruto tugged on his mother's pants leg. When she looked down at him he asked, "Kaasan, what's wrong with her?"

The little girl's mother heard him and answered, "She's afraid that no one will like her or want to be her friend."

Determination filled Naruto as he shouted out, "I'll be your friend!"

The little girl squeaked as he ran over to stand in front of her offering her a beaming grin. The mother lightly pushed the little girl forward and Naruto was finally able to get a good look at her. She had dark hair and pale eyes, just like her mother, but Naruto thought she was just the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He stared at her for several seconds before looking back at his mother and asking, "Is she an angel?"

Both mothers laughed at the boy's naiveté.

Kushina answered, "No, darling, she's a Hyuuga. They all look like that. Now, why don't you introduce yourself so you can go play?"

Naruto turned back to the shy girl and said, "I'm Namikaze Naruto! Who are you?"

"H-h-hyuuga H-hinata," the little girl stuttered.

"You want to be my friend?"

Hinata nodded fiercely. Naruto grabbed her hand and drug her off to play as Hinata's mother called after her, "Be nice to Naruto-sama, Hinata-chan."

"H-hai."

"He sure is friendly, isn't he, Namikaze-sama?" the Hyuuga woman said.

Kushina smiled softly in the direction of the two children playing on the jungle gym slide. "Yes, he is. He can be quite a handful at times, but he's a very sweet boy. Thank you for letting Hinata play with him; he's never had someone to play with or make friends with before."

"Oh no, it is I who should thank you. It is truly an honor for Naruto-sama to choose Hinata to become his first friend. You're family has done and sacrificed so much for our village, it is the least I can do. Besides, Hinata is so shy she has a hard time making friends herself. Maybe someone as brave and courageous as Naruto-sama, who keeps all of us safe from the Kyuubi, will be able to help Hinata become more self-confident as well."

"Arigato, I appreciate your kind words, Hyuuga-san."

Both mothers lapsed into silence as they watched their children bond and play for most of the evening. They resolved to schedule play dates for the children to get together and have fun. Knowing how much training would take up Naruto's time now, Kushina was grateful he would still have a chance to be a kid and have fun playing with friends.

*~***~*

**A/N- **Sorry for the filler chapter; the main plot of my story doesn't really begin for a few more chapters. I'm working on getting you guys there…I tried to include some action for you so you wouldn't be as bored reading it as I was writing it…

**Random Notes: **Okay, so the scene where Naruto says he'll be Hinata's friend, that's actually based off a real life situation. When I started kindergarden a girl was crying, I asked my mom why, her mom said she was afraid she wouldn't have any friends, and I pretty much yelled out "I'll be your friend!" Sorry to kinda base Naruto off me, but I could totally see him doing that. Also, that thing about the enzymes and proteins and stuff from the tranquilizer…uh yeah, not sure if that's right or not, I could've researched it a little more but I'm being lazy so just pretend…

**Coming Up: **_Naruto learns some shocking news, someone attempts to kidnap Hinata, and Naruto starts the academy._


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